The Atlantic League finally has some uniformity and has saved fans a few bucks in the process.

It used to be every team went its own way when it came to finding headgear. Each team negotiated with whatever hat company it wanted.

York wore New Era caps.

Long Island used Zephyr.

Bridgeport had Twins.

But the deals varied.

This year the league signed its first league-wide apparel deal. Hat manufacturer The Game supplies on-field hats for all eight teams. It also provides hats for retail at a discounted price.

"We knew if we could somehow put our buying power together, we thought we could get a more advantageous deal," said Long Island Ducks General Manager Michael Pfaff, who negotiated for the league. "It's really something that we've been trying to accomplish for a while."

The hope is the league will continue to be able to earn league-wide deals with manufacturers.

According to York General Manager Matt O'Brien, the deal allowed York to lower its hat prices -- because the price break the league received is greater than what the Revolution secured by itself last season.

And while New Era is the most recognizable name in hats, York isn't taking a step back in quality. The Game has a national reputation, most notably for its NCAA headgear.

First defections: Two Bridgeport Bluefish players earned contracts with major league organizations this week. The Orioles assigned catcher Brian Peterson to Double-A Bowie, and the Angels assigned

Peterson batted .400 in seven games; Greenburg had four extra-base hits in 13 games.

From spring training through the final game of the season in 2007, major league organizations signed 30 Atlantic League players -- including six York players.

Former O's: Fans could glance up in the stands last season and see Al Bumbry chatting with Ken Singleton. The franchise has Baltimore connections. But this year the Revolution are taking its relationship with Orioles players a step further.

Former O's will be accessible to the fans in the right field picnic pavilion during Tuesday night games. Former O's will mingle with fans at the all-you-can-eat buffet.

Tickets costs $30 or $27 in advance. The buffet begins at 6 p.m. and lasts until 8 p.m. It will feature barbecue chicken, grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, deli salad, baked beans, corn on the cob and dessert.

Appearances are always subject to change, including the dates when players will appear.

Perhaps the biggest name in the group is former O's player and manager Davey Johnson. But his status for the July 1 game is tentative because of his responsibilities as manager of the 2008 United States Olympic Baseball Team.

Castro returns: Ramon Castro rejoined the Newark Bears on Tuesday, arriving from his home in Venezuela. He batted .343 for the league champs last season -- and probably would have won the MVP had he not been injured. He missed a month after he suffered an Achilles injury while running to first against York on June 15.

Going, going, gone: The Barnstormers released left-handed reliever Ross Peeples after Lancaster's 9-5 loss to Camden on Wednesday. Peeples faced four batters and surrendered two homers. But it was just his third appearance of the season. He had been with the club since its inaugural season in 2005.

"It's one of the undesirable things about this job. But we need to improve the bullpen," head of baseball operations Keith Lupton told the Lancaster New Era.

Collision in the outfield: Former major leaguers and Somerset teammates Jeff Duncan and Michael Ryan collided as they chased a line drive in the left-center field gap three batters into Tuesday's game.

Duncan recovered from the hit and walked off the field, but Ryan suffered a concussion and left the field in an ambulance after being loaded onto a stretcher. Ryan is back with the team, but has not played since.

Sidenote: On the play Long Island's Damian Rolls scored on the inside-the-park homer.

Offerman still swinging bat: He was last seen swinging a bat at Matt Beech's head. Former Long Island Ducks infielder Jose Offerman has concentrated on hitting the ball this season. Playing for Veracruz in the Mexican League, Offerman is batting .355 with six homers in his first 44 games.

Revs killer: Former York Revolution infielder Luis Lopez (eight games in 2007) had a nice opening series effort for Bridgeport against his old team. He's batting .500 (5-for-10) with four RBIs.

Before Friday's game, he was batting .250 against the rest of the league.

York alumni update:

Norfolk Tides outfielder Tike Redman has removed his name from consideration for the waiver wire. After batting .184 through his first 14 games, Redman has steadily improved -- starting with a 4-for-5 effort on April 27.

He's batting .271 through 28 games, but still hasn't shown the speed he displayed last year. He's been caught stealing twice in five attempts.

jseip@ydr.com; 771-2025